Caregiver burden among families supporting individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) in rural India remains inadequately explored despite its critical influence on treatment adherence and family well-being. Severe mental illness imposes substantial psychological, social and economic strain on caregivers living in resource-limited rural settings. Therefore, it is of interest to explore the lived experiences, perceived burden and coping responses among primary caregivers of individuals with SMI in rural India. A qualitative descriptive design was adopted and in-depth interviews were conducted with caregivers recruited from three rural primary health-care catchment areas. Thematic analysis revealed multidimensional caregiver burden characterized by emotional exhaustion, financial hardship, disrupted family routines, social isolation and stigma. Coping responses ranged from problem-focused strategies such as information-seeking and structured caregiving routines to emotion-focused and faith-based practices. Participants consistently reported unmet needs for psychoeducation, accessible mental-health services and respite support. Thus, we show the necessity of integrating caregiver-centred interventions, community-based psychoeducation and strengthened rural mental-health outreach services to reduce caregiver burden and improve continuity of care for individuals with SMI.
Keywords: Caregivers; adaptation; mental disorders; psychological; qualitative research; rural health.
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